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looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:27 pm
by Galena
I was going to buy the Graham Wheeler book Brew Your Own British Real Ale but then reading the reviews the latest edition would seem to be a bit of a let down. Looking on Amazon even when you choose an older edition the reviews still refer to the latest edition and I am not sure what I would end up with.
So, can anyone recommend a good recipe book that would have some good British classics in and then one perhaps that focuses more on pale or blonde hoppy beers?
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:34 am
by bitter_dave
That Wheeler book is a classic imo if want to make fairly traditional British ales. That said, if you want to make modern hop bomb type IPAs you won’t find that in there, and neither will you find much in it on yeast choices. Not sure why people criticise the latest edition in particular - I’ve got it (in the smaller version published in 2009) and it seems to me to be enhanced compared with earlier editions (I’ve got another edition from 1998).
I like ‘home brew beer’ by Greg Hughes as a recipe book, but this has a broad range of ‘original’ recipes, not clones of British beers.
Others will have other suggestions.
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:37 am
by McMullan
Well you could pick up a used copy of Graham Wheeler's excellent book for next to nothing and make your own mind up, I reckon. I'd ignore any negative reviews. Probably made by people who can't be arsed to even figure out for themselves which yeast strain to pitch. Spoon fed tools. Brew Your Own British Real Ale is an excellent introduction to brewing and to classic British ale styles. Regardless what you go for it's going to require a little effort. It doesn't brew for you.
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:10 am
by Dennis King
Personally I find the 2nd and 3rd editions of Graham's books the best but that is probably because they contain more of the beers I want to brew. I don't have the Greg Hughes book but I have read somewhere that most of the book he just copied the work of others.
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:51 pm
by Galena
[The Graham Wheeler book I was referring to was this edition
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brew-Your-Own- ... oks&sr=1-5 the reviews I referred to (which have dissappeared and the book is now unavailable) suggested that it was as though somebody who knew nothing about brewing had revised the book and cut out lots of information like hops and that no yeasts were mentioned at all.
They did advise going for an earlier edition but that is almost £35 for a used copy
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 6:11 am
by McMullan
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 7:33 am
by IPA
It's in a class of its own !
Later on you might want to buy another of his books. BREW CLASSIC EUROPEAN BEERS AT HOME.
But it's not cheap.
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 10:00 am
by Galena
Brilliant thanks, ordered.
It's in a class of its own !
Later on you might want to buy another of his books. BREW CLASSIC EUROPEAN BEERS AT HOME.
But it's not cheap.
For reference, this is the review for the 2014 edition, there are several along the same vein. So I am glad for the link to the earlier edition.
Having waited patiently for this latest, 2014, edition, I am frankly disappointed. It's as if somebody who doesn't really know what they are doing has gone to Wheeler (or Wheeler and Protz) earlier works to produce something modern and glossy which doesn't really work. There's a lot of dismissal of factors as unimportant, or a matter of taste, which are them elaborated at length, eg. hop utilisation. Much important stuff is just glossed over eg. culturing yeast. Most disappointing of all is the recipes: Protz went to great length to consult with breweries over the formulation of their recipes and this is reflected in Wheeler's earlier editions. The new recipes are standardised on pale malt, crystal, chocolate and black malt, where black malt appears to be used just for colour adjustment- might as well use caramel. No mention of yeast type in the recipes, either. A great disappointment. Don't waste your money on this edition, try to find an earlier one.
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 10:01 am
by Galena
bitter_dave wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:34 am
That Wheeler book is a classic imo if want to make fairly traditional British ales. That said, if you want to make modern hop bomb type IPAs you won’t find that in there, and neither will you find much in it on yeast choices. Not sure why people criticise the latest edition in particular - I’ve got it (in the smaller version published in 2009) and it seems to me to be enhanced compared with earlier editions (I’ve got another edition from 1998).
I like ‘home brew beer’ by Greg Hughes as a recipe book, but this has a broad range of ‘original’ recipes, not clones of British beers.
Others will have other suggestions.
The edition I refer to is the 2014 edition, see the quoted review in the post above. I have ordered the 2009 edition now and the Greg Hughes book as well
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:58 pm
by bitter_dave
I’ve got that edition of Wheeler and it’s great!
Happy reading / brewing!
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:09 pm
by Galena
bitter_dave wrote: ↑Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:58 pm
I’ve got that edition of Wheeler and it’s great!
Happy reading / brewing!
Fair enough
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:06 pm
by Kingfisher4
I have the GW and Greg Hughes books above and you will enjoy them.
Could I also suggest another, by James Morton designed for BIAB instructions but recipes all good so far and you’ll find hoppy IPAs there too. Limited recipes but tried several and all good so far.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brew-Foolproof ... 3/ref=nodl_
Re: looking for a good recipe book
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:43 pm
by Galena
Kingfisher4 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:06 pm
I have the GW and Greg Hughes books above and you will enjoy them.
Could I also suggest another, by James Morton designed for BIAB instructions but recipes all good so far and you’ll find hoppy IPAs there too. Limited recipes but tried several and all good so far.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brew-Foolproof ... 3/ref=nodl_
Thanks, checked that one out and definitely one for the bookshelf at some point.